The Story:
Reeking of mid-90’s style, Habitat is set in a not-too-distant future when the Ozone layer has completely burned away. Everyone has to cover their skin when going outside or it will be grilled from the Sun’s ultraviolet rays. The Symes’ are a family of scientists who are new to the neighbourhood, they have stolen illegal, biological materials to continue research in evolving mankind past the elements of the new world.
Hank Symes is the brain behind the operation, he hides his work in the basement, but after causing an accidental leak the organic matter combines seperating his body into a swarm of tiny organisms. The being he becomes is the transformation he was aiming for with his research, he then uses his new creative power to transform the whole house into a living, self-sufficient atmosphere. His wife Clarissa refuses to evolve with her husband and she wants to protect their son from the abnormal life he has been born into as much as possible.
Their son Andreas doesn’t fit in at school and is put through torture from the school coach and his goons after he sees his daughter (played by Dead Like Me’s Laura Harris) take interest in him. Andreas is looked at as a freak when people notice the sun doesn’t burn him like it does everyone else, causing the neighbourhood to start getting curious about what’s going on inside the strange house.
Somebody brought enough cheese to the barbeque to lay it on thick, the dialogue and music often feel at home in a shitty day time soap opera, or soft-core porn. Although calling it soft-core porn at moments wouldn’t be a stretch. Writer/director Rene Daalder made sure to treat viewers to as many topless ladies as possible and combining that with constant conflicts makes Habitat nearly devoid of a dull moment.
Effects/Gore:
The effects were pretty damn good for mid-90’s CG. The CG was only used when absolutely necessary, leaving a great variety of gooey bits to classic puppetry and makeup effects where it belongs!
Final Headcount:
I walked into Habitat not expecting anything and left with almost everything. Habitat is a movie I would watch over and over again. It’s a perfect choice for a movie night with your favorite homies. Fun movies that entertain right through to the credits can be hard to come by. After the credits I immediately tried tracking down a copy of the film and sadly found out it is an “OOP” title; meaning it is discontinued and out of print. Hopefully Habitat will gain enough of a following to warrant a Blu Ray release. Habitat is a Canadian Horror/Sci-Fi title that is just itching for Cult status, my hope with this review is that I can help at least a little bit in getting it there.
